


Together We're Better

by jadehqknb



Series: KuroDai Valentine's Day 2020 [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Divergent, Comfort, Confessions, Fluff, Getting Together, Holding Hands, M/M, Pining, Sick Fic, omg they were roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22705846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadehqknb/pseuds/jadehqknb
Summary: A year after camp, Daichi finds himself the crusher, rather than the crushed... or crushee? Terminology aside, he understands why his admirer never came forward: it's hard offering your heart.Especially when you live with the person who you want to accept it.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi
Series: KuroDai Valentine's Day 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1633108
Comments: 6
Kudos: 129
Collections: KuroDai Valentine's Day 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Theme: Getting Together  
> Prompts: (Confession + Holding Hands + Balloons)

Daichi walked through the door of his apartment, questioning his sanity at Bokuto’s offer (more like insistence) of being his gym buddy. His whole body ached something fierce. The hot shower at the gym had done little to improve his condition and he wondered just how badly he would hurt the big guy’s feelings if he admitted he just couldn’t keep up. 

He shook his head. He was just being a big baby. Bokuto was the perfect gym partner because he actually pushed Daichi past his limits but not so much that he got injured. He just needed to suck it up. 

He finished taking off his shoes then headed towards his room. Kuroo wouldn’t be back for another hour or so, which meant Daichi had time to get both his laundry started and dinner for them on the table. Kuroo was hopeless when it came to remembering to eat. Shocking, given how much he pressed food on Kozume-san the year before. 

Memories of those days brought a pleasant warmth of nostalgia to Daichi’s chest; it already felt like a lifetime ago. Those memories also brought to the forefront of his mind his first secret admirer (well, first admitted secret admirer). Now, dealing with his own crush, Daichi better understood that person’s hesitation to have told him the truth to his face. 

He just had the added complication of  _ living _ with his crush full time. Granted, he and Kuroo had different schedules and intense coursework, but Kuroo’s presence was all around him, all the time. 

It was in the stacks of science magazines and literary journals left haphazard around every surface of the living room and sometimes the bathroom. It was in the blankets piled high on the couch that Kuroo loved to burrow in to watch movies. It was in the cat motif cookery that Yamamoto had gotten him as a gag gift.

Daichi could swear his  _ scent _ was around all the time, despite his own deep cleaning he did every two weeks. Yes, Kuroo Tetsurou was everywhere. 

Especially Daichi’s heart. 

He sighed. If Kuroo knew  _ at all _ the trail of his thoughts, he’d either never speak to him again or he’d never hear the end of it. Most likely, the latter. 

Just as he reached the door to his room, a low moan, brought him up short. It had come from across the hall in Kuroo’s room. Spinning on his heel, Daichi was about to open it when the thought that maybe Kuroo was  _ busy _ came to his mind. The door was partially open, most likely the only reason he’d even heard the sound. Indecision held him still, but a loud coughing fit and a distinct sniff of a very congested nose assured him his first thoughts had been incorrect. 

Kuroo was ill. 

Still, Daichi tapped on the door, saying as he did, “Kuroo? You ok?” 

Another moan was the only reply.

Opening the door, he found Kuroo sprawled on his bed, the sheets and covers kicked off, clad only in boxer briefs. It was not the time to be admiring the long, lean lines of his still exceptionally fit body (despite not having to go to the gym, the bastard), but Daichi couldn’t help it. 

He remained frozen in place staring until another coughing fit—more violent than the first—had Kuroo sitting up, his fist to his mouth. 

“Shit, here,” Daichi said, dashing out of the room to the bathroom to grab a glass of water. He walked as fast as he could without spilling it, and sat on Kuroo’s bed, handing over the glass. “Drink this, slowly,” he said, settling his hand on his back without thought. He was burning up, covered in sweat. Now that Daichi really looked at his face, he could see how pale he was, his hair matted down by sweat as well. 

“Geez, please tell me you went to the doctor,” Daichi said, absentmindedly rubbing his hand up and down Kuroo’s back as he drank the water down. 

Kuroo pulled away the glass when it was empty, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. The glass slipped from his fingers, as though to hold it any longer were impossible, falling to the soft mattress. “No,” Kuroo rasped and Daichi could see in his face how much it hurt to talk, “just a cold.”

“Just a cold, my ass,” Daichi muttered, helping to guide Kuroo back to the pillow. 

“You have a cold ass?” Kuroo asked, blinking slowly up at him. 

Daichi snorted. “No, I said ‘just a cold, my ass’. You need medical attention, Kuroo.” 

Kuroo waved a weak hand at him. “Just gonna sleep—” he was cut off by another round of coughing.

“Why are you so damn stubborn?” Daichi grumbled. He helped prop Kuroo up with some pillows, even grabbing some from his room that he would most likely burn after all was said and done.

“I’ll be back soon, try not to die while I’m gone,” he said. 

“‘W’re, you goin’?”

“To get you medicine. Now stop talking, I know it hurts your throat.”

Kuroo made a protesting noise but Daichi ignored it. He would have loved to tease Kuroo about all the cute noises and faces he made while sick, but Daichi was too busy enjoying them. He’d keep them to himself, just like his crush. 

As he walked to the corner market, he considered his position. He really, really did like Kuroo, despite his tendency to be an ass and the way he seemed to take so much joy in bothering Daichi. Then again, Daichi loved getting him riled up too, when he could manage it. 

Suga had proclaimed their banter was some weird form of foreplay but Daichi had just shoved a dumpling in his mouth and told him to shut up. 

Maybe Suga wasn’t as wrong as Daichi thought. But if he wasn’t wrong about Daichi, that could mean he wasn’t wrong about Kuroo. Meaning… just maybe…

Daichi shook his head. It wasn’t the time to be thinking about it. Kuroo was really sick and needed his help. Pining and deciding what to do about said pining would have to wait for another day. He entered the store and hurried to the pharmaceutical section. Getting a prescription would not be possible, but Daichi had spent enough time caring for younger siblings to know what he needed. 

He muttered to himself as he gathered each item: cough syrup, throat drops, honey, tea, decongestant (one with sleeping aid and one without), cold presses, hot presses and some juice. Moving to the grocery section, he obtained the ingredients to make a peppery soup his grandmother used to make him when he was sick. 

As he reached the front of the store, he noticed a bunch of Get Well balloons. One with a cat caught his attention and he couldn’t resist getting it for Kuroo. He wanted, in whatever way possible, to help him feel better and that included making him smile if he could. 

Purchases completed, he hurried back to the apartment. Opening the door, he frowned when he heard Kuroo coughing yet again. He really wished he could convince him to go to the doctor, but Kuroo was a stubborn idiot especially when it came to his own well being so Daichi would just have to do what he could and hope for the best. 

But if he wasn’t well by Monday, he would throw him over his shoulder and take him to the doctor by force. 

“I’m back,” he called, doubtful that Kuroo had heard him as he was in the process of hacking up a lung; or phlegm at least if the sound was anything to go by. 

Daichi wrinkled his nose. 

Poor guy. 

He went to the kitchen to get the soup started. It would have been better to get pre-made he supposed, but it went against every caregiver fiber in Daichi’s body. Sickness needed care and love, so he was going to pour as much of each that he could into making Kuroo a healthy, homemade meal. 

Once the stock was in the pot, he left it to start boiling, hurrying to Kuroo’s room to get the medicine in front of him. He held up each item, naming them off before setting them on Kuroo’s bedside table. “Take the cough syrup now. We need to get some food into you and then you can have the decongestant with the sleep aid so hopefully you can get some sleep tonight. I’ll bring you some tea.” 

Kuroo must have been feeling terrible because he didn’t argue about any of it, just took the cough syrup then laid back down. Daichi doubted he could stay there, his suspicions confirmed when, as he made his way back to the kitchen, he heard Kuroo begin to cough again. The meds, while good, would take a little bit to kick in. 

The stock was nearing a boil by the time he finished prepping the veggies, which he dumped in to begin cooking. Luckily, he had some plain chicken leftover from his weekly meal prep, a good protein to add after everything was cooked. He added pinches of various seasonings and a large amount of pepper, the not-so-secret ingredient. 

The kitchen smelled good and Daichi’s mouth watered. He had forgotten in his haste to care for Kuroo to eat anything and his body was beginning to shake. He’d have some soup with Kuroo he decided. 

When it was nearly ready, Daichi went back to the bedroom again. “Food’s almost done, put on some pants and a shirt. I know you feel warm but you don’t want the chills to start and it’s colder out in the living room.” 

Kuroo grunted but got up… only to fall right back down again onto his mattress. “Damn,” he muttered but didn’t move again. 

Daichi frowned. He knew Kuroo needed some sort of nourishment so he would just have to improvise. 

“Alright, let’s do this,” he said, moving to the bed. He fluffed up the pillows again and got Kuroo settled against them. “I’ll be right back.” 

A few minutes later, he returned with two mugs; one filled with soup and the other with tea. He sat on the bed again, facing Kuroo. “Think you can hold this?” He extended the mug of soup to Kuroo. 

“Uh… maybe?” Kuroo sounded unsure, his face tilted down to his lap. 

“Ok, here,” Daichi said and shifted to sit beside him. He drew the mug to Kuroo’s lips. “I’ll hold the weight, you just guide my hand,” he explained. 

Kuroo nodded, doing as told. It took a little trial and error, but they managed to get it down his throat with minimal spilling and no scalding. Next came the tea, consumed in the same manner. 

“Alright, med time,” Daichi said, popping out two decongestant tablets with sleep aid. 

Kuroo took them then sighed as he leaned against Daichi’s shoulder. “S’rry, S’mura.” 

“Nothing to be sorry for idiot,” Daichi muttered, his cheeks heating up at the contact. It was stupid, Kuroo just couldn’t sit up anymore, but Daichi allowed himself a brief moment of appreciation at having him so close. 

Kuroo let out a soft sound, somewhere between a wheeze and a snore and Daichi rolled his eyes fondly. “Guess those pills work well.” 

He shifted but Kuroo’s hand gripped his, startling him. “Thanks for the balloon,” he murmured, his breath tickling the side of Daichi’s neck. 

“Oh,” Daichi said, surprised Kuroo had even noticed it. “You’re welcome.”

“I shoulda got ya a balloon too,” Kuroo went on. 

“But I don’t need to get well, at least not yet,” Daichi laughed, unable to stop himself from pushing the fringe out of Kuroo’s eyes, despite them being closed. 

Kuroo shook his head. “Not now… then…” 

Daichi stopped the motion of his hand, but Kuroo whined and he started again. “When? What are you talking about?” 

Kuroo slid down further, saying around a barrage of yawns, “At camp. I shoulda got a big, heart-shaped balloon… a big, fat, ‘Be Mine’... but it wasn’t Valentine’s Day…” His words drifted off as he did and he slid down off Daichi to his pillow. 

Daichi’s pulse pounded in his temple.  _ Be mine _ . Kuroo…  _ Kuroo _ had been his secret admirer? This was… this was too much to believe. Daichi wanted to ask him, wanted full, crystal clear clarification but… Kuroo was asleep. Besides that, he was under the influence of not only a nasty fever but also medication. He didn’t know what he was saying and it wouldn’t be fair to take advantage of that. 

No, if Daichi wanted the truth, he would have to ask when Kuroo was lucid; assuming he could grow a pair to do it. 

He stood up to allow Kuroo to get comfortable but a murmur caught his ear and he leaned in closer. “What was that, Kuroo?” He kept his voice soft and low just in case he was still asleep and had only been making sleepy noises. 

Kuroo turned over to his side facing Daichi. “Stay with me? Hold my hand… it’s nice. 

Deep affection bloomed in Daichi’s chest and he did as requested, drawing Kuroo’s desk chair over to sit on as he held his hand until he was fully asleep. When he was sure he was out, he let go, missing the warmth of his hand the second he moved away. 

There was a lot he needed to think about and if he didn’t get something to eat right away, he would be passing out next. 


	2. Chapter 2

Kuroo woke up the next morning and groaned. He was a strange mix of feeling better but disgusting and one glance at his sheets revealed the culprit of the latter; they were drenched with sweat. 

Ugh, so gross. But, he did feel better, stronger, perhaps even able to stand up without feeling like the world was going to fall out from underneath him. 

He rolled over and opened his eyes, frowning slightly at the Get Well Soon balloon. He tried to recall the previous evening but all he got for his efforts was white noise and a headache. 

Clearly, someone had taken care of him, and more than likely, it had been Sawamura. 

Kuroo groaned again, grabbing one of the many pillows around him and smothered his face with it. He sniffed, surprised not only that he could smell, but what he was smelling: Sawamura.

He lifted the pillow off his face and when his eyes came into focus saw he’d been attempting to put himself out of his embarrassed misery with one of Sawamura’s pillows. 

Sitting up, he took further inventory of the room. Medication, two mugs (why two?), throat drops and the balloon. He pushed through the white noise and fluff again, this time picking up some fragments but nothing concrete. It was really unnerving. He could only hope he hadn’t done or said anything too embarrassing. 

Since his head wasn’t swimming bad enough to fear falling over, he stood and risked a stretch. His vertebrae popped in various places, his skin tacky; he needed a shower.

Stepping into the hall, he heard sounds coming from the kitchen. Even still partly congested, Kuroo caught a whiff of something delicious. Hopefully, Sawamura was making enough for both of them. He usually did, a fact that as many times as he experienced it, never failed to make Kuroo’s heart skip a beat or two. 

If he wanted his portion hot, he’d need to hurry. A quick rinse was all he could probably manage anyway. He went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. It took more energy than he’d anticipated and when he almost slipped twice, he decided he really didn’t need to condition his hair. He would most likely be getting back into bed after breakfast. 

After drying his body and his hair (as well as he could but it was still a little damp) he pulled on a pair of sweats and t-shirt, shuffling down the hall in socks towards the delicious scent he’d caught when he first stepped out of his room. 

He walked past the kitchen, croaking out, “G’mornin’ S’mura.” 

“Good morning, glad to see you didn’t fall and crack your head open.”

Kuroo decided not to undeceive him. “M’fine, just tired still.” He headed to the kotatsu, grateful to find it already on. Settling his legs under the blanket, he sighed, his eyelids becoming heavy again as the warmth penetrated his cold skin. 

“I’m also glad to see you up on your own. I was beginning to think I’d really have to carry you to the doctor,” Sawamura called from the kitchen over the clank and bustle of finishing up their meal. 

The thought of Sawamura holding him— _ picking him up— _ was too much for Kuroo’s weakened state. He groaned, his forehead hitting the table with a firmer thud than he’d intended. 

“Oi, you ok?” Sawamura asked, rushing in. 

Kuroo raised his now aching head to look at him, giving an unconvincing grin and weak thumbs up. “Peachy keen, S’mura-kun.” 

Rolling his eyes, his roommate headed back into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a plate in each hand, one of which he set before Kuroo. Placing his hands together and closing his eyes, Kuroo murmured, “Thank you for the food,” before picking up his chopsticks and digging in. The omelet was warm and perfectly pillowy and he hummed appreciation at the wonderful taste filling his mouth. 

“I hope it’s not too spicy. I added a little extra kick in case you were still super congested,” Sawamura said as he set down two cups of tea and then took his seat across the table. 

Kuroo swallowed his bite. “It’s perfect. Thanks.” Sawamura looked like he was blushing but that may have just been Kuroo’s imagination. He was still a bit hazy from the head conk. “And thanks for takin’ care of me,” he added, “you’ll make a good nurse. Already do.”

Sawamura coughed and Kuroo frowned. “Shit, did you catch it already?” 

“No, no! Food went down the wrong pipe.” 

It was then Kuroo noticed Sawamura wouldn’t look at him. His eyes were fixed on his plate, the table, even out the window but he wouldn’t look at Kuroo. Did he have something on his face? He discreetly checked his nose; no grossness running down his face, thank goodness. “You sure you’re ok?”

“Fine, just fine.” Sawamura looked up, meeting his eyes to Kuroo’s for a brief second before his gaze dashed away again. 

Kuroo set down his chopsticks, tilting his head like the curious cat everyone accused him of being. “Ok,  _ something’s _ up,” he said through a huff. Before Sawamura could play it off again, he added with an emphatic finger, “No lies, tell me.” 

Sawamura paused open-mouthed then shut his jaw, pressing his lips together, a slight frown furrowing his brow. “It’s really not a big deal,” he tried to insist.

“If it’s not a big deal, just tell me,” Kuroo said. He was beginning to get irritated. It wasn’t that he expected Sawamura to tell him everything, but he thought by now they were good enough friends to at least confide in each other. The man had taken care of him when he was sick as a dog, for goodness sake!

Again that frown, the purse of his lips and then, “Well, it’s a little embarrassing.”

“For who? You? Me?” 

“Uh, kinda both?”

“Just spit it out, Sawamura, you’re making me nervous. What, did I throw up on you or something?” 

“No! You… you said something last night that I don’t think you meant to say and I was just trying to let it go but I can’t stop thinking about it and—“

“Woah, woah, slow down,” Kuroo interjected, holding up his hand. His nerves were tenfold now. “What did I say?” 

“Uh, you said, that you should have gotten me a balloon back at camp.” Sawamura met his eyes finally, anxiety clear in his face. “One that said ‘Be Mine’.” 

Kuroo felt the rush of blood to his cheeks and it made him dizzy. He leaned forward, setting his forehead on the table gently this time and took in a deep breath. “Oh,” was all he could manage. 

“But it’s no big deal,” Sawamura hurried on, “I mean, it’s ok. I don’t mind. I was really flattered and knowing it was you, I don’t know, it’s… it’s nice. Uh…”

Kuroo’s head shot back up, his eyes wide and his mouth dry but he would be a fool not to take this opening, no matter how embarrassing it was. “It’s true. I mean, it was true then and it’s true now. I really… I really admire you… I like you, a lot.”

Sawamura’s eyes widened as well, his fingers clenching the napkin in his hand. “You… you do?” 

Kuroo nodded. 

“Oh thank god, because I really,  _ really  _ like you too.”

Kuroo sat still, taking in those words. Then he smiled, soft and sincere. “Sawamura, when I’m well, I’m gonna kiss the heck outta you.”

Sawamura flushed bright red but he was grinning too. “I’m looking forward to it.” 


End file.
